Education: Master of Science in International Public Administration, University of Southern California, 1982. Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies, University of Arizona, 1976. Studies at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Universidad de las Américas and Denison University.

James S. Schenck has more than a decade's experience in Latin America facilitating grassroots development processes. Since 1999 he has served as the CHF International's (Cooperative Housing Foundation) Country Director/Guatemala and Chief of Party and the Director of the USAID-sponsored Communities in Transition project in the Ixcan, Guatemala. The project works in participatory processes to promote agroforestry, non-traditional agricultural exports, environmental education, communal banks, community and municipal strengthening, social, road & bridge infrastructure and a community-run road maintenance association. Mr. Schenck, expanded the geographical scope of project, negotiated a three year, $3 million extension to CIT project as well as $2 million in post-Hurricane Mitch Reconstruction Funds. His roles include that of Co-Administrator of two Ixcan grassroots organizations; AMVI - Ixcan Road Maintenance Association and CORDISA - Ixcan Industries Corporation (a small farmer enterprise). Both CORDISA and AMVI are recipients of the World Bank / Soros Foundation Rural Productivity Award. In two years, 2000 to 2001, he built twenty-one bridges between 30 and 150 feet in length. Additionally, he supervises the MICAM disaster prepardness project. Between 1998 and 1999 he was Co-Director of the Communities In Transition project. From January 1997 until June 1998 he undertook international development contract work as JSS International Consulting. His primary clients included Plan International, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Cooperative Housing Foundation. At Plan International he developed training materials and methodologies to help Plan families improve their housing conditions. At the Inter-American Development Bank he has been reviewing project materials and making recommendations related to a IDB project that seeks to strengthen municipalities and other local organizations involved in the participatory planning, monitoring and execution of grassroots development projects in the Dominican Republic. At the Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF), Mr. Schenck reviewed the activities of the USAID-sponsored Communities In Transition (CIT) project through documents and on-site in the Ixcan, Guatemala. He then prepared the 1997 CIT Annual Report for CHF.

For five years until January 1997, he was the Country Director for Peace Corps in Nicaragua, and facilitated the agency's return to Nicaragua after the 1990 elections. Mr. Schenck increased the number of Volunteers from fifteen to over one hundred, developed the necessary support staff and expanded Peace Corps Nicaragua's program areas, its geographical coverage and the number of cooperating host country agencies. He was the Peace Corps Program & Training Officer (Deputy Director) in the Dominican Republic between 1989 and 1992 where he supervised five Program Managers, directed program development, introduced innovative Volunteer training designs, managed training contracts and coordinated the yearly budget process. From 1987 to 1989, Mr. Schenck was on the faculty of the Instituto Centroamericano de Administración de Empresas (INCAE) as the Director of the Private Development Organizations Program and managed a training program for grassroots development support organizations working in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Ecuador. He served with the Peace Corps in Paraguay as an agricultural extensionist and rural water supply promoter for small towns. At International Voluntary Services in Ecuador, he trained both IVS technical volunteers and community leaders in organizational development processes with an emphasis on planning and evaluation.

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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Nicaragua; Country Directors - Nicaragua

Hello My name is John Jacobs. I am a nursing student that was asked to join a Rotary International discovery team in Chinadega,Nicaragua we are in just the very first stages of discovering what is needed in this area as well as what our group may be able to improve the health care in this area. I am looking for any infromation that you might have in this area, population infromation, current state of the hospitals, any rural health care system that is already in place as well as any projects or contacts peace corps may have in the Chinadega area. thank you so much for your help John Jacobs johnf3@mindspring.compo box 880862 Steamboat Springs CO 80488 (970)231-3498

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